


such a thing

by stnmrsh



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bisexual Kenny McCormick, Coming Out, Crushes, Friendship, Gay Stan Marsh, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Texting, theyre only like fourteen but
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stnmrsh/pseuds/stnmrsh
Summary: So he lets himself wonder what it would be like to date Kenny. He catches himself grinning, thinking how fun it would be to go on a date. He doesn't have a job yet, but he has an allowance and Kenny still works under-the-table at City Wok.Stan thinks he would be happy even with just the occasional McDonald’s date. He'd pay for Kenny's meal, and Kenny would pay for his. Maybe they'd hold hands on the walk home, and Kenny would kiss him goodbye at the door, and Stan would tell him to be safe on the walk home, and Kenny would say something about bear mace.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski & Stan Marsh, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Stan Marsh & Kenny McCormick, Stan Marsh/Kenny McCormick
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hbd stan!!! stenny cute

It's Sunday, nearing dinner, and Stan and Kyle are hanging out in Kyle’s bedroom. Kyle is at the desk, humming a song out-of-tune as he draws flowers in the margins of his biology notebook, while Stan is laying on the bed with his arms over his eyes.

It's this Sunday evening, the boys having just finished their homework, that Stan comes to a realization. He isn't one to keep secrets, so he decides to speak up.

“Dude, I think I have to break up with Wendy.”

Kyle stops drawing, fingers twitching slightly as he spins his desk chair around. “What for? Didn't you guys, like, just get back together?”

Stan nods, pushing himself up to a sitting position. “Yeah, just. I think I'm gay, and, um, I don't want to drag the relationship on if I don't feel anything for her. You know?”

“Oh,” Kyle breathes. “Yeah, yeah, dude. I get it. Congrats on figuring that out, I think?”

Stan laughs.

“Thanks, man. Anyway, do you think I should break up with her tomorrow or wait for Friday so she has the whole weekend to, like, grieve our relationship?”

Kyle shrugs, turning back around to continue his doodles. “I dunno. Maybe tomorrow would be best, ‘cause you don't wanna drag it on, right?”

“Good point.”

“You decide if anyone in our class is attractive yet?”

“Nah, man,” Stan says, “I've only known I'm gay for like half an hour.”

“Oh, dang. You really love me, huh? Telling me right away–really shows how much you trust me.”

“Ew, don't get all serious on me.”

Kyle laughs, shakes his head, and taps his pencil on the desk. “Let me be serious. It's nice to know you trust me. Thank you for telling me, Stan.”

Stan is silent for a minute.

“You know, Clyde is kinda cute. He's a dumbass, totally my type.”

Kyle blinks, once, twice.

“What the fuck. That is so not your type. You're into pretty smartasses.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Wendy. Even if she isn't a guy, she's still your type. Aside from the whole, uh, likes to break up with you think. You're not a masochist. I hope.”

“That's true. So like, Craig? He's pretty. He has a really nice nose.”

Kyle snorts. “Actually, yeah. No, yeah, that totally works, dude. I could see it. But he's into twitchy blonds. Sucks to be you. Pine forever, you poor boy.”

Stan hums, looking at the ground with pursed lips. “Okay, what about . . . Jimmy? I mean, he's not the most attractive, sure, but he could totally break my heart. I would love it.”

“No, oh my god, don't fall for Jimmy, don't be a masochist.”

Stan rolls his eyes, grinning. “Token? I mean, not a smartass, but he's  _ definitely  _ attractive. Like, really attractive.”

Kyle bites his lip, thinking. He nods slowly, turning to look at Stan again. “Yeah, totally! I could see it, you guys would be cute.”

“We so would. Problem is I'm not into him. What about Kenny?”

“Kenny?” Kyle asks, startled. He frowns and twirls his pencil. “You know, that might actually work. He's bisexual, and he flirts with you all the time. He'd be into it.”

“What?” Stan's eyes are wide. “He flirts with me? Really? I didn't–are you sure?”

Kyle raises an eyebrow. “Wait, are you like, for real into him? Dude!”

“Wh–no, hey, listen. You–” Stan scrambles for words, falling back onto the bed. “You only said that to get a reaction out of me! That's, like, cheating!”

“You can't cheat a conversation, asswipe.”

“Okay, well,” Stan huffs, crossing his arms self-consciously.

Kyle shuts his notebook with a  _ plap _ and tosses his pencil into a cup. He turns to Stan once again. “Dude. We gotta talk about this.”

“No, we don't.”

“Kenny totally likes you back.”

“Shut! Up!” Stan jumps to his feet. “I'm leaving. You're–no. I'm–I’m leaving!”

“Don't be a pussy! You guys would make a great couple. I would totally be your best man.”

“WE’RE FOURTEEN?” Stan says, bewildered and only slightly panicking.

Kyle grins and continues to make jokes about a future wedding between his best friends.

Despite his flustered comments, Stan does  _ not _ , in fact, leave.

• • •

Stan breaks up with Wendy the next day just before homeroom. She ends up skipping school for the day, without a word to anyone.

Stan spends the morning stuck in his head, thinking back on what Kyle was saying the night before. He quickly comes to the realization that Kenny  _ does _ flirt with him.  _ Often. _

So he lets himself wonder what it would be like to date Kenny. He catches himself grinning, thinking how fun it would be to go on a date. He doesn't have a job yet, but he has an allowance and Kenny still works under-the-table at City Wok.

Stan thinks he would be happy even with just the occasional McDonald’s date. He'd pay for Kenny's meal, and Kenny would pay for his. Maybe they'd hold hands on the walk home, and Kenny would kiss him goodbye at the door, and Stan would tell him to be safe on the walk home, and Kenny would say something about bear mace.

“Stanley,” Kyle says, waves a hand in front of his distracted best friend’s face at lunch.

Stan blinks out of his daydream. “What?”

“Whatcha thinkin' about?”

Stan stutters out a string of random vowels, his stomach feeling uncomfortably warm through his embarrassment.

Kyle grins, but he doesn't say a word when Cartman and Butters sit down across the table, Kenny not far behind. Kyle “zips” his lips shut, instead picking at the slimy lettuce on his tray.

Stan pouts, crossing his arms in a petulant manner.

“What's wrong, hippie?” Cartman jokes, “Crying ‘cause your girlfriend left you?”

Stan rolls his eyes. “She didn't leave me, asshole, I broke up with her.”

“Well, why'd you go and do that, Stan?” Butters asks, ignoring his meal in favor of conversing with the boys.

Stan thinks Butters is a gossip, always telling his friends about the latest drama. It's usually something interesting though, so Stan doesn't really care.

“I'm gay, so I didn't wanna drag it on and hurt her more.”

The nearest tables silence at once, and Stan feels eyes on him as he pulls apart a chicken tender with all the casualness he can muster up. His friends look so shocked, even Cartman doesn't joke about it.

Kyle is the only one who doesn't seem to care, instead reaching out to snatch an apple slice from Butters’ tray.

Stan looks up from his food, frowning at all the eyes focused on him. “What?”

“You're gay?” Kenny asks.

Stan shrugs. “Yeah. What about it?” He says this like he doesn't give a fuck, but his hands are shaking and his breath is shallow. He didn't–he didn't necessarily plan on telling everyone? Not right then, at least, but whatever. It works, and it gets the news out without him having to deal with it too much.

He still has to tell his parents though.

Whatever, that's a problem for another time.

He hears whispers at the next table, and suddenly more and more eyes are turning towards him.

Kenny hums, “Well, I'm glad you told us! I can't say I expected it, seeing how many years you were with Wendy, but I'm happy for you.”

Stan laughs nervously, ducking his head to hide his smile. “Thanks.”

All eyes on him, this doesn't go unnoticed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no dialogue. none!!! who am i

The remainder of Monday passes quietly, although Stan is  _ certain _ he caught a glimpse of Craig Tucker punching some guy–a  _ senior, _ which is absolutely mindblowing. What kind of suicidal maniac punches someone that old? They're basically adults, they could like, sue Craig.

Well, probably not. Anyway, it was intriguing and Stan hopes Butters caught whatever happened.

Tuesday begins with an overflow of messages and notifications when Stan gets his phone from his mom in the morning (fucking freemium games. She won't let him have his phone at night anymore.)

He unlocks his phone with bleary eyes as he exits the kitchen, and he can already hear his mom cursing out his dad. Stan thinks mornings are a scam. Kenny  _ loves  _ mornings. When they were younger and still had regular sleepovers, Kenny used to wake Stan and Kyle up just before sunrise to watch with him. Kyle would look at the sky, say some dumb nerdy thing about the clouds or stars and go back to sleep.

Stan hates mornings, but he would always stay up with Kenny long enough to see the sky become blue once again before he dragged the blond back to bed.

He misses that.

He scrolls mindlessly through his notification screen, not really processing a thing until he sees the messages from Kyle.

**_dude:_ ** _ Dude. _

**_dude:_ ** _ People are posting that dumb yaoi stuff again. It's not all art really, but people are yelling about their “ships” all over Facebook. What kind of person talks about ships on Facebook? They're definitely not going to be getting jobs anytime soon if that's set to public. _

**_dude:_ ** _ Oh, by the way! This time it's of you and Kenny! I guess they're trying to profit off of your coming out, though, which isn't great. They're dicks. _

**_dude:_ ** _ You know, I think it's so shitty when people do this kind of thing! You can't just go around shipping real people– _

Stan stops reading there, sighs, and closes the app. Kyle means well, and technically he's not wrong, but he's a bit of a self-righteous bastard. There's a line, of some sort, between whatever Kyle’s doing and what, like. Kenny does.

Stan grins. Kenny is great in situations like this. Stan imagines Kenny would look at someone fetishizing him (as in Stan) and tell them fuck off, and, like, that's it. He doesn't make a big deal out of things. It's really attractive.

Stan bites his tongue, cutting off that line of thought.

He really needs to stop daydreaming when he's supposed to be doing things.

Whatever.

He dismisses all the unimportant notifications, hesitating when he sees two missed calls. No voicemail, though, and he doesn't recognize the number, so he ignores it. There's something about Garrison from CNN–why does he even have the app? He deviates from his task to delete the news app, only to end up spending twenty minutes cleaning up his home screen. He deletes six apps and reorganizes every single folder twice before he realizes he's supposed to be getting ready for school.

Stan gets about half a shirt on before his phone  _ pings _ again, and he has Kenny's text tone set to noir, because it suits him and Stan thinks it's cute and ever since Kyle pointed it out Stan can't stop  _ thinking  _ about Kenny so when he hears his text tone Stan drops absolutely everything to grab his phone and–

It's a picture! Stan opens the message, waiting the second or two it takes for the image to load. It's a picture of a paper with little cartoon lions and tigers all over. A moment later, another message.

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ guess who stole ms brights smelly stickers!!!! got som e kitty stickerz _

Stan perks up. Stickers! Scratch and sniff stickers! 

**_you:_ ** _!! nice! i don't even rmbr the last time teachers gave those out lmao. why does she even have them?? if she doesn't give them to us _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ cause she hates kids! she wants us to suffer bc she knows we know she has embut she wont givem up _

**_you:_ ** _ i think her thing was she hates teens but loves kids but they want her to work with teens because too many people want the kids. probably pedos _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ totes. bro u still got that notebook??? r there any empty spaces? _

He used to collect stickers; he had a notebook dedicated to them, starting in preschool, and he filled it up by the time he got to third grade. At that point, teachers stopped handing them out as much, and eventually Stan stopped receiving them altogether.

**_you:_ ** _ i don't know, maybe _

**_you:_ ** _ wanna come over later ?? _

**_you:_ ** _ we can look for space to put them!!! _

**_you:_ ** _ totally cool if not i know u work a lot _

**_you:_ ** _ do u work tnight??????? _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ lol no _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ ill come over later !!! get off the bus together or after that _

**_you:_ ** _ either is fine!!!! _

**_you:_ ** _ oh shit speaking of bus i gotta get ready i don't even have a shirt on omg _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ leave it off _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ you look goooood _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ lmao _

Stan laughs, half-hysterical, his heart skipping  _ so _ many beats.

**_you:_ ** _!!! i'll get pneumonia! _

As if that's the only problem with what Kenny said.

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ don't u mean hupothermeaja  _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ idk how to spell that so i just, didnt _

**_you:_ ** _ i think they're both cold things _

**_you:_ ** _ pneumonia like. fucks with your lungs? and hypothermia makes u blue. or something like that lmao i'm not a science _

**_gay awakening:_ ** _ mood. i too am not a science _

**_you:_ ** _ YOU KNW WHAT I MEAN _

Stan grins at his phone. He abandons Kenny with a “ttyl” when he realizes he has about five minutes before he needs to leave. School is a scam.


End file.
